1 in 10 DIYers injure themselves doing repairs

More than one in ten people who has attempted to repair a domestic appliance themselves has suffered serious injury, according to a new survey.

A poll of 2,000 householders found 14.5 per cent has sustained an injury with a ‘lasting effect on health’ while attempting repairs.

Consumers must be extremely careful when attempting to repair something like a washing machine themselves, as they could sustain a serious injury

Mikael Anderson

Around one in five (19 per cent) suffered an injury which required medical attention.

Despite the risks, 16 per cent of those polled will attempt to fix a washing machine, dishwasher or fridge themselves rather than calling a professional.

The most common reason for attempting a repair themselves was an urgent need of the appliance (42 per cent), wanting to attempt the repair themselves (38 per cent) and a lack of money (34 per cent).

The largest appliances top the list of most common DIY repairs, with washing machines taking first place (48 per cent) followed by ovens (34 per cent), dishwashers (27 per cent) and fridges (25 per cent).

The most common injuries sustained are cuts and gashes (49 per cent), followed by trapped fingers/skin (19 per cent), bruising (17 per cent) and electric shock (14 per cent).

Mikael Anderson, Business Development Manager at www.glotech.co.uk which carried out the study, said: “These statistics are extremely worrying.

“If 41 per cent of consumers’ immediate reaction to a fault would be to repair it themselves, they could not only be putting themselves at risk of sustaining a DIY related injury, they could also be repairing the appliance incorrectly, therefore creating a huge safety and fire risk.

“Although the majority of the injuries don’t appear to be serious, the number of people repairing an appliance is concerning.

“Consumers must be extremely careful when attempting to repair something like a washing machine themselves, as they could sustain a serious injury.

“As an appliance repair company, we would suggest consumers ask a professional for advice or for assistance in fixing their machine, before attempting to solve the issue themselves.”

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), every year in the UK more than 6,000 people die in accidents in the home and 2.7 million turn up at accident and emergency departments seeking treatment.